Fisher to Host Annual Charity Softball Game

With a year to settle in and setup shop, Rams coach Jeff Fisher’s annual charity softball game will be bigger and better this year when it makes its return to GCS Ballpark on Sunday, June 9.

The now annual game is entering its second season in St. Louis and will return to GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., the home of the Gateway Grizzlies. The highlight of the evening will be the softball game featuring Fisher, Rams coaches, players and staff as well as a variety of local celebrities.

Also included in the night is a celebrity home run derby and post-game fireworks show along with plenty of activities for fans in attendance. The proceeds of the night will go to five charities: The BackStoppers, the Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation, Mercy Ministries, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Catch-A-Dream Foundation.

“The softball game is a great way for our players to come together for a night of fun while benefiting charity,” Fisher said. “I think everyone in attendance last year – from the players to the fans – had a blast and we are excited to make it even bigger and better this year. GCS Ballpark provides an intimate setting for fans to get an up-close look at some of their favorite players and see their personalities away from the football field. My hope is that it becomes a must-attend for Rams fans every year.”

Beyond the events on the field, team partner Worth Fastpitch will have an “Expert Skills Exhibition” from 12:30-2:30 which will allow fans ages 8-18 to test their throwing, hitting, bunting and running skills. Paid attendees will also get a chance to participate in a home run derby of their own from 3-4 p.m.

At 4:15 p.m., athletes from the Special Olympics will step on the field to participate in a game featuring a team from Missouri and a team from Illinois.

General admission tickets for the Special Olympics game, celebrity home run derby, celebrity softball game and fireworks show are $10 and reserved field seats are $25. For fans that want to participate in the skills exhibition and get a general admission seat, tickets are $30 and tickets to participate in the skills exhibition with a reserved seat are $45.

Sponsorships are available by calling 314-781-5233. Sponsors will be invited to a special VIP reception hosted by Coach Fisher on Saturday, June 8.

About the charitable beneficiaries:

Started in 1959, The BackStoppers, Inc., provides needed support and financial assistance to the spouses and children of all local and county police officers, firefighters, publicly-funded paramedics and EMTs and volunteer fire protection units, who have lost their lives performing their duty.

The Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation began as The Snowman Fund to raise money for Wolfram syndrome research at Washington University’s School of Medicine in late 2010. The Fund has now evolved into the Foundation, sharing the same mission, to raise awareness and funding for research that one day will stop the progression of Wolfram syndrome. Wolfram syndrome is a terminal form of diabetes that results in the degradation of the nerve cells in the eyes, ears and brain, and in 60% of the cases, causes death before the patient’s 30th birthday. The eight year-old daughter of Stephanie Snow Gebel, and granddaughter/niece of Jack and J.T. Snow, was diagnosed with Wolfram syndrome in the fall of 2010.

Mercy Ministries’ free-of-charge, voluntary, faith-based residential program serves young women from all socio-economic backgrounds, ages 13-28, who face a combination of life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, depression and unplanned pregnancy. Mercy also serves young women who have been physically and sexually abused, including victims of sex trafficking. Using proven methods, a holistic approach and professional counselors in a structured residential environment, Mercy has helped thousands of young women be restored to wholeness. Mercy’s goal is to help these young women find freedom from their issues and empower them to serve in their communities as productive citizens.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project™ is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and service to meet their needs.

Catch-A-Dream Foundation provides once-in-a-lifetime dream hunting and fishing trips to children across the United States and Canada, age 18 and younger, who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. Through these adventures, and exposure to outdoors-minded people who care, the program instills in these children a message of encouragement at a time when they need to know that hope does, indeed, exist.